


Here on This Distant Shore

by HandMadeWordVomit



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Boats, Consenual Kidnapping, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Mutual Pining, Riz is just very bad at taking care of himself, Slow Burn, consent is important, gay thoughts, mermaid au, or more or less someone getting snatched and hidden in a bathtube, this isn't as bad as this sounds i swear, yeah lots of those
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-01-23 04:14:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21313999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HandMadeWordVomit/pseuds/HandMadeWordVomit
Summary: My mermaid au from my blog Pete-theplug on tumblr but in fic form.
Relationships: Adaine Abernant/Figueroth Faeth, Kristen Applebees/Tracker, Riz Gukgak/Fabian Aramais Seacaster
Comments: 9
Kudos: 87





	1. Always Watching, Never Blinking

Riz curled against a rock and watched the humans as they walked along the beach. His tail splashed quietly in the water as he listened to the crash of the waves. Everything seemed to be peaceful. Riz was still wary. He doesn’t trust humans. Not after all of the disappearances of some of his friends. He forced himself to be on constant watch. He refused to let anyone else be taken. His mother had told him to relax and that it wasn’t his job. What did she know? Riz felt personally responsible for all of this. Even if he didn’t have legs and couldn’t search for them himself, he’ll just watch and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Minutes turned to hours as the day went on by. His mother had given up on trying to convince him to dip back into the ocean and only stopped to bring him food. He didn’t eat much of his food. He just threw it off and pretended that he ate it when his mother questioned him. He continued to watch. Never faltering and never moving from his perch. His hair dried and became puffy from humidity. His skin was uncomfortably dry and his eyes hurt from the light. Still, he didn’t move.

For him, it was seeing the same people and the same things every day. He learned some of their names from listening to their conversations. It was fun watching them go about their lives and made him almost sad. He partially wished he could join them. However, he always killed that thought before it could manifest into anything else. He had a job to do. He couldn’t let himself get attached lest he forget about his main goal of finding his friends’ kidnapper. 

There were two girls that always seemed to hang out together on the beach very rarely going into the ocean. He eventually learned that one of them was part merperson and could go into the water at will and turn into, what appeared to be, part shark. Her name was Fig. Her last name had never been spoken but he remembered hearing about figs in general. Weren’t they a human fruit? Riz had made several notes on her and the rest of the many other people he saw frequently. It was all for the sake of his detective work. Not because he was attached. That’s crazy talk.

The other girl was named Adaine Abernant. She was very similar to Riz. She was very nervous and anxious nearly all the time. She usually sat on the shore and watched from afar while Fig played in the ocean. Every so often, she would look over to where Riz would be perched as if she knew he was watching. She freaked Riz out if he was being completely honest. He had the sinking feeling that even when he did dive out of sight that she still knew he was watching. She spoke in very hushed tones and always made sure no one was there when Fig would go adventuring in the water.

Gorgug Thistlespring, as Riz learned to call him, is absolutely terrifying to look at. With the body of a viperfish but being nearly twice the size of a normal human, Riz tended to try and stay a good 100 feet away from him whenever possible. He was escorted around by this pleasant looking human couple that carried him in their giant van. At first, he thought they were fishermen and had kidnapped Gorgug. When he kept coming back, however, with Digby and Wilma in toe, he slowly realized that these humans had been taking care of him. The Thistlespring’s had seen Riz on many occasions and would frequently try and talk to him. Riz would choke on air then dip into the ocean and would simply wait for them to leave. 

There was another girl by the name of Kristen that stopped by at least once a week. She always seemed extremely worried and upset about something. He never spoke to her but they both acknowledged each other when they saw each other. Riz would make sure no one bothered Kristen as she did whatever it is she wanted and in turn Kristen would give Riz small little trinkets or items she had. He had acquired quite the collection and studied these objects in hopes that he’ll come closer to learning about human culture and learn how to suss out who was kidnapping his friends. Even though Kristen really wanted a picture of Riz, Riz had destroyed her phone the last time she tried and hasn’t attempted it again.

The notorious fisherman Bill Seacaster had a son. He had never made the connection until he had shouted his name to which Riz connected the dots. Fabian Aramais Seacaster was really good looking. Extremely fit and a fairly decent height given human standards. Most fisherman would tell tales and believed heavily in Riz’s kind. Fabian, however, denounced this. He swears on his life he knows nothing about mermaids and believes they don’t exist. It intrigues Riz to a degree as he hangs around Bill’s ship when they fish, so he can make sure no merperson finds themself caught by them, and he could’ve sworn he has made eye contact with Fabian at least once. All this aside, Riz is fairly put off by Fabian. There's already too many fishermen in his ocean. He doesn’t want anymore. 

Riz remains by the shore until the sun has fully set and he can barely keep his burning eyes open. He then retreats to the comfort of the ocean and remains the rest of the night awake checking over clues and information, never taking time to sleep. Then the next morning, he does it all again. A while back Kristen had introduced “coffee beans” in to Riz’s life. He grows them and eats them almost constantly in order to stay awake. He only ever truly sleeps when his body finally gives out and forces him to sleep for at least 2 hours. Then, he gets back up and continues working. He’s worn his body out and he can tell his mother is worried. She just doesn’t understand that he can’t stop. He needs to make sure no one else is hurt. He is going to save Penny. He just has to. It doesn’t matter that his throat is so dry he can barely speak anymore. It’s just how it’s going to have to be until Penny, and the rest of the missing girls, are back in the ocean where they safely belong.


	2. I Forgot How to Float so I Guess I'll Sink

The ship rocked with the waves as Fabian breathed in the salty cool air. The sun was beating down on him, sweat dripping down his neck. Leaning against the side of the ship, Fabian huffed out a quiet sigh. Everything has seemed so out of control as of late. He didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. He always idolized his father and now that he’s gone he has no one to truly look up to. It was distressing. Sailing along was one of the only ways he could find relief so that’s what he did. He sailed along the ocean planning on ignoring the rest of the world. He was his own island and didn’t need to rely on others to feel worth. That’s what he liked to tell himself, at least. 

He breathed in sharply through his nose and watched the fish swimming underneath him. The weatherman had warned of a storm approaching, but Fabian could care less. He could handle himself. Besides, the sky was absolutely clear. He had nothing to worry about.

Time slipped by as Fabian just wandered around his ship and just enjoyed the breeze. He didn’t bother to think about the future or what it held. He didn’t think about Kristen begging him to take her on his next little boat ride. And he certainly didn’t think about how disappointed his mother looked when she had found out he had been skipping Bloodrush practice to go to the beach. Fabian was just Fabian. And that’s all he wanted to be. 

As the minutes passed, the breeze picked up. Fabian began to realize the storm was coming soon and went to turn his ship around. He had gone pretty far off the coast. He bit his lip in worry. Worst case scenario he’ll just get a little wet, that’s all. Nothing to worry about. He grit his teeth as he pushed onward, choosing to ignore the looming clouds in the sky that taunted him with rain.

He was halfway to shore when the downpour came. The wind became more wild and unpredictable. Fabian had lost his balance and slammed into the side of the ship. He became woozy and light headed, beginning to black out. He could only truly remember the feeling of falling and the crashing of waves and the splash of water around him. The faint feeling of arms around Fabians waist made him crack a small smile while slowly slipping into the dark.

Salt water gagged Fabian awake. He jerked over to his side and threw up. It was mostly bile and saltwater which scratched his throat and covered every inch of his body. Sandralynn was kneeling next to him, a towel already being thrown over his body.

“Hey kid, you alright?” the lifeguard gently patted his back as he continued to cough and gag. 

“Besides feeling like absolute shit, yeah I think I’m good.” His voice was raw and gravely. His stomach churned as he leaned his head back against the wall.

“You’re lucky Fig found you when she did. You were completely out of it. How much do you remember from before now?”

“I remember being pretty far off from shore and falling? I was blacking out and just really tired,” he let out a sad laugh, “I think something grabbed my waist then. It felt like arms and I vaguely remember it pulling me somewhat before passing out.”

“Someone was holding onto you?” Sandralynn now sounded confused. “Fig said she saw you all alone.” Fabian shrugged and focused on the floor. Sandralynn sighed and stood up. “Alright, I’m going to call your mother and have her come and get you. You should rest for a while and make sure you get plenty of rest alright? I don’t want you out at sea for a while either.”

“Alright,” Fabian visibly dulled at that. What would he do without being out at sea? It was his only solace at the moment. 

He was dragged into his spiraling thoughts and quietly waited. Eventually, Hallariel came to pick him up. Her lips were pursed but Fabian couldn’t get a read on her emotions. 

“Fabian, let’s go you've already wasted enough time by having me come get you. Hopefully this serves as a lesson for the future."

Fabian lept up immediately, swaying with the sudden vertigo he had. "Yes, mother," he followed her solemnly.

The ride home was quiet the say the least. Fabian held the towel around his body and tried to ignore the itch that covered his whole body. The moment the car was parked, Fabian lept out. He wandered into his bedroom, snagging some clothes and abandoning his father's eyepatch, and went into the bathroom. He made sure the water was burning hot before striping completly and jumping in. He scrubbed furiously at his body and hair attempting to wash all of the salt off. His skin was burning and red before he was even done. Eventually he gave up and shut the water off. The steam in the bathroom filled his lungs and he began another coughing fit. He coughed and coughed and coughed till his face was nearly blue and began gagging into the toilet. He leaned against the bathtub letting out a shallow breath. Today just wasn't his day.

The rest of his routine went without hassle. He finished drying off, put on his clothes, fixed his hair, picked apart his reflection, and went back to his room. He didn't bother with texting anyone with his current state. He knew they all assumed he'd be fine. He was Fabian Aramais Seacaster, he's always fine. No matter what. That was the motto that got him through life so far. He didn't have to worry his friends. They always knew he was fine. Even his mother knew. He would never let himself break. Today just tested what everyone already knew. Nothing could break Fabian.

For the rest of the next two weeks Fabians life was the exact same. Go to school, go to bloodrush practice, come home and lay down the rest of the night. He didn't talk as much due to his throat still feeling raw. Kristen had offered to sneak him out of his house but he always declined. His mother would kill him if she knew he was sneaking about. No, he was going to suffer through this like a man. No questions asked. Eventually after two weeks his mother had allowed him to leave the house again.

"I'll expect you home each night. No staying out till 11 or you're back to square one," she had said. He took those words to heart and refused to betray her trust.

He began to spend more time with Kristen than normal. He'd sit with her, while she made seashell necklaces, as she rambled on about fairytales. She always sat in the same place at the beach: near a rock that was somewhat close to shore. Fabian didn't know why she seemed disappointed when she'd look over at the rock and see nothing. When he tried to ask she would begin to once again talk about mermaids and how she's seen them before. Fabian would always just listen. Every once in a while, he'd take a nap when the weather was really nice. When he'd wake up, he would hear Kristen talking in a hushed voice and immediately stop talking once he sat up. He never knew who she was talking to but he didn't think much of it.

On a bright sunny day, after school had finally let out for good, Fabian found himself by the shore near the same spot he and Kristen would always meet at. Her family had decidedly sent her on a "vacation" which was just a fancy word for Bible Camp. He sunbathed and watched the waves come in then fall away, he stared at the endless horizon and didn't notice the eyes watching him carefully from behind. He didn't notice the eyes coming closer as he slowly stepped foot into the ocean after ages of always watching but not touching. He waltzed deeper and deeper into the ocean till he was up to his shoulders, then went farther. He swam peacefully ignoring the brush of, what he assumed to be, seaweed against his feet.

Fabian smiled and enjoyed the peacefulness of it at. The eyes he had ignored crept closer and continued to stare. As he enjoyed the feeling of the wind in his hair he looked down and saw the tail of a fish. He recoiled backwards, only to step on the back of what felt like skin. He then saw the dilated eyes of a creature staring at him. He held his breath. What the fuck? The creature, upon realizing it had been seen, swam away swiftly. Fabian was left floating and wondering what he had just seen.


	3. Everything is Real if You Believe Hard Enough

No matter how hard Kristen tried, no one believed her when she said mermaids were real. Absolutely no one. Not even Fabian who spends most of his time at sea wouldn't admit it. Kristen knew she was right, though. She had seen many mermaids in her life. And by many she means two. One had been a fleeting glimpse when she was 14 and was struggling against the waves and couldn't find her way back to shore. She saw a mermaid who couldn't be more than two years older than her grab her hand and pulled her to shore. She never got her name but Kristen had been obsessed with her since then. The mermaid that saved her had resulted in her obsession with the sea and caused her to become even closer to Fabian, who was pretty closed off, even then.

The second encounter with a mermaid had been with Riz. He didn't really talk much. All he ever did was watch the shore from a large jagged rock in the ocean. When she first saw him, she thought he was merely a statue. However, after watching him for so long she realized that he was in fact a living being. She tried to snatch a picture of him then, but it resulted in a scar along her arm and a broken phone. Since then, the two have grown quite friendly with each other. Kristen will give Riz different objects from the land and in return Riz will, quietly, talk about his kind.

When Fabian started hanging out with Kristen more, Riz disappeared. She kept looking for him while she hung out with Fabian but found no sign of him. She checked everywhere along the shore. She even dragged Fabian out to Riz's rock. Nothing. She had felt sad at the loss of a friend but was overjoyed a few days later when Riz appeared again. Fabian had fallen asleep while Kristen was rambling. Something she was well used to at this point. a little while after he fell asleep familiar eyes had peered around the rock and dipped back out of sight.

"Riz!" Kristen called out in a hushed voice, "It's been so long! How have you been?" She smiled wide as Riz made most of his head visible to talk with her.

"I've been fine Kristen," he mumbled his words and bit his bottom lip with his razor sharp teeth. "I didn't want to bother you and your friend so I changed my hiding spot." teal covered his face as he trailed off, embarrassed.

"I've been looking for you! I thought something happened and I was worried!" she laughed as she jogged towards the rock and began treading the water to get closer to her friend.

"Sorry I didn't know!" Riz was swept up in a hug by Kristen. His spotted tail flopped uselessly behind him as Kristen squeezed him. "Kristen," he coughed out, "You're choking me!" Immediately he was dropped into the water only for his head to pop back up moments later. "That was a little unnecessary don't you think?"

"I'm just happy to see you again, that's all. I didn't bring anything for you today. I wasn't expecting to see you."

"Well I was just nervous about that person you're always hanging out with. That's Bill Seacaster's kid! Don't you know that he's terrorized my kind for ages?" Riz raised his voice slightly before diving back down to a whisper, "He also seems to have followed in his footsteps."

"Why yes I am aware the Fabian Aramais Seacaster is the son of Bill Seacaster. Besides, you don't really have to worry about Bill anymore, he died a few months ago remember?" Kristen sat down on the rock and watched Riz as he picked at his nails.

"Yeah I know but Fabian fishes. I saw him a while ago when he almost drowned."

"You saved him? I knew it! I knew it couldn't had been just plain ol luck that saved him! Riz, you saved his life!"

"It's not that big of a deal. I was watching him and when he fell I wasn't just going to let him drown! I'm not like that."

"Still! You should talk to him or something. Maybe he'll stop fishing in your ocean if you ask nicely?" she pulled the sweetest face she could while Riz stared blankly at her. "Okay fine! I just want to prove that mermaids are real and what's a better way than telling him that he was saved by one? Besides, I think you two would get along. You both seem to be after something bigger than yourself."

"Kristen, please!'

"Alright, alright. Still, think about it. I'm gonna go, I don't know how much longer sleeping beauty will be asleep for. See you around hopefully."

"Yeah, see you Kristen," Riz gave a polite wave and an awkward, toothy smile as Kristen walked away. He dove behind his rock and watched Kristen as she retreated back to the beach with a sleeping Fabian. His smile dropped and his shoulders tensed as he became defensive and on watch.

Fabian woke up a few minutes after Kristen sat back down. They talked and talked for at least another two hours before Kristen had to go. She shot Riz a smile causing him to blink back into the moment where he waved. His body ached as he moved back into his previous position. He sighed and lazily watched with less vigor as it started to become darker. Fabian refused to move at all during this time. He stared longingly at the ocean but never made any move to go into it. He simply watched on as the beach became less and less crowded.

Riz had decided he deserved a small nap before going to work all night. He curled up against the rock and closed his eyes as the cawing of seagulls lulled him to sleep. His tail splashed lazily in the water, the repetitive motion causing him to become more tired. He fell asleep long before the last visitors of the beach left. A simple mistake on his part really. He didn't expect much to happen during this time. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?


	4. This is Why You Shouldn't Leave Sharp Objects in the Ocean

Fabian lazed on the beach as the sun began to set. He didn’t want to go. Not yet, at least. He just wanted to lay here for eternity. He just wanted to listen to the restless waves and wanted to forget everything. A text on his phone disrupted his peace. His mother is asking him to go home.

He sat up and went to leave the beach when a figure caught the corner of his eye. He turned to look and saw a greenish figure laying on the rock Kristen has been so obsessed with as of late. He slowly stalked over, wary of the dwindling amount of patrons wondering about. 

A green sleeping person shaped creature laid on the rock. His pointy ears twitched as he slept. Fabian’s eye, the one not covered by his eyepatch, widened at the creatures legs. Well, the lack thereof. Instead of legs the creature had a fishtail resembling a catshark fish. With everything he’s heard from Kristen, this could only be one thing. This was a mermaid. 

“I can’t believe this happening. They’re real?” Fabian neglected to keep his voice down causing the creature to open his eyes. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before they both began yelling in shock. The creature fell backwards off his rock and splashed in the water, arms flailing. 

“What was that for asshole?” the creature popped his head up and snarled at Fabian.

“Well I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I've never seen a mermaid before and now there’s one yelling at me?” Fabian took a step back and prepared to flee if the creature tried anything.

“You started yelling first! And i'm actually a merman. Mermaids are female. I don’t know how well you can see with that eyepatch of yours but I’m not a girl.”

“Yeah, yeah I don’t care. What were you doing? Don’t you live in the water?”

“I was making sure people didn’t do anything bad. I’m a guard basically.”

“How much do you get paid? You guys have a form of currency right”

“I um,” the creatures face turned teal, “I don’t actually get paid? I’m not even supposed to be here so,” his voice trailed off in embarrassment. 

Fabian laughed loudly, “So what you’re saying is that you stalk people? That’s pretty pathetic. I thought you guys were supposed to be graceful and beautiful creatures not gross stalker dudes!”

“I’m not a stalker! I’m just making sure nobody gets hurt or lost!”

“Alright alright,” Fabian put his hands up in mock surrender, “My name is-” 

He was cut off by the creature, “ yeah yeah, Fabian Aramais Seacaster son of Bill Seacaster. I know who you are. I’ve seen you around here enough times.”

“Well why don’t you tell me your name then? Just so I know who is stalking me when I’m at the beach.”

“For the last time I don’t-” the creature exhaled sharply through his nose. “Riz. My name is Riz Gukgak.”

“Well Riz Gukgak, my apologies for disrupting your nap. I will be taking my leave now if you don’t mind.”

“Likewise,” Riz shot Fabian a look before turning to dive back into the depths of the ocean. He was stopped by something catching his tail and digging deep into his skin. Riz let out a yelp and flinched away only for his skin to tear and blood to come spewing out. Fabian, who had already turned his back, ran towards Riz in concern. 

“What’s wrong are you okay?” He put out his hands to try and grab the merman only for him to bare his teeth and growl. 

“Back off!” Riz clutched his bleeding tail between his hands. 

“I’m not going to hurt you! Who do you think I am? Just let me help you I have stuff at home and I live close by.”

“What are you just going to carry me? Besides, I just met you. How do I know you aren’t going to kill me and gut me?” The genuine fear in Riz’s eyes caused Fabian to falter.

“I wouldn’t do that. I’m- I’m not my father I-” Fabian gently grabbed Riz’s shoulder, “I will not hurt you, nor will I allow anything to hurt you. Please just let me help you.” Riz’s blood began to color the ocean and gathered around Fabians legs. Riz darted his eyes between his tail and Fabian’s face. He seemed trustworthy and what else could Riz do? He would have a rough time getting home and he couldn’t remember what all he had to help with injures. 

“Fine, but you are returning me here as soon as I’m better okay?” Riz let his grip on his tail falter as he stared at Fabian.

“I promise Riz,” and with that, Fabian scooped Riz up into his arms and began lightly jogging home. There was nobody outside as Fabian ran across the sidewalk with a merman in his arms. Riz clutched Fabians neck as he bounced around, still bleeding, in his arms.

“What are you doing? Are you trying to kill me?” 

“No, I’m just getting us there faster. How much do you eat? You’re as light as a baseball!” Despite how joking Fabian made the comment out to be, He was mildly concerned. Sure Riz was small, but he should still have a good amount of weight to him.    
“Well I’m too busy guarding the ocean to eat all the time. It’s not that big of a deal,” Riz was dismissive as he watched behind Fabian seeing the ocean, his home, disappear out of sight.

“Well we’re fixing that too. You shouldn’t be this light.” That was all they had said before Fabian opened the door to his house and ran up the stairs to the bathroom. He locked the door and laid Riz in the bathtub. 

“Okay let me go find my first aid kit,” Fabian dug through the cabinets as Riz laid in the cool tub. While he was searching, Riz fiddled around with the knobs at the front of the tub and turned on the water yelping in shock. 

“What is that?” Riz had tried to move his tail out of the way causing shampoo and body wash to fall.

“It’s water?” Fabian paused with the kit in hands.

“Why is it like that? It’s nothing like the ocean!”

“That’s because there’s no salt in it.” Fabian shut the water off. “Now hush up and let me fix your tail.”


	5. In Which Freakouts Happen and Shrimp is Eaten

After many arguments and water being splashed everywhere, Riz finally finds his tail wrapped up and no longer bleeding. They sat in silence for a brief while. Riz gentle bobbed his tail around in the tub, careful as to not hurt it even further. 

“Could you add salt to the water and make it like the ocean?” 

“I’m sorry, what?” Fabian looked at Riz, pinching his nose.

“Well you said that the only difference between the ocean water and the water in this thing,” Riz knocked the faucet with his tail for emphethes, “is that the ocean has salt and the other water doesn’t. So could you just add salt and it’ll be more comfortable for me?”

“I'll think about it.” Fabian thought for a few seconds. “Since you are going to be here for a while what do you even eat? As my guest I'm not letting you starve and I want to feed you something you'd actually like. Do you eat seaweed or something? Plankton?"

"I usually eat shrimp or squid. Sometimes I'll small fish. It's why I got these sharp teeth," Riz shot an awkward toothy grin at Fabian. "But, you don't really have to get me anything. I've gone long stints without eating anything, it's no big deal."

"No big deal? Riz, how else do you expect to watch over the beach if you’re starving?" Fabian was careful to not raise his voice too loud in case he attracted his mother's presence.

"I've been doing pretty well so far."

Fabian made an incomprehensible noise before continuing, "I am getting you food, and you are going to eat or else."

Riz snorted, "or else what? You'll move me from the tub to you're bedroom?"

"Well I was going to have to do that eventually but I was planning on force feeding you myself if you refuse."

Riz stared blankly at Fabian before shaking his head, "You don't have to-"

"But I want to! Just let me help you okay? You can pay me back later if you really feel that bad about me feeding you."

"Fine."

"Fabian, dear, dinner is ready! Come down now please," a new voice, presumably Fabian's mother, called up at him.

Fabain jerked his head towards the door, "I'll be down in a minute mama!" he then suddenly turned his head back toward Riz, "Stay there." After he looked Riz over he left, shutting the door with gusto and then bounded down the stairs.

Riz scoffed as Fabian went off. There wasn't much Riz could really do in this situation was there? He was stuck in a stranger's bathtub (no, not a stranger, the son of the most fearsome pirate) with an injured and wrapped up tail. He was virtually helpless. Fabian could leave him here to die and there was nothing Riz could do to stop him.

His breath caught in his throat as he thought about that. What would his mother say? Would he ever even see her again? Would he end up just like Penny and all the other missing girls? Riz began searching around the room for some form of escape. He used the little upper body strength he had to pull his body up and out of the tub. He rolled across the bathroom floor with a flop and groaned at the feeling of his tail slamming against the floor. He rolled onto his stomach and continued to crawl across the floor trying to escape. His claws dug into the ground as he heard footsteps slowly approaching. Oh god, Fabian was coming back. Fabian might be trying to kill him. In a desperate attempt to hide, he flung open the sink cabinet and squeezed his body inside. His fins were pressed tight against his body and his tail was uncomfortably squeezed between various cleaning supplies. His freckles glowed slightly illuminating the otherwise pitch black cabinet.

Riz held his breath as the door squeaked open. "Riz? Riz what the fuck? Where are you? Riz?" Fabian sounded almost panicked and Riz heard something get set on the sink. "That's it, I really am going crazy!" Fabian laughed as Riz looked through a crack in the cabinet doors and saw Fabian sit down across from the cabinet. I really hope you're still in here because, I swear, if my mother finds you we're both dead."

Riz looked at his webbed hands and let out a breath. What was he doing? Fabian wasn't going to kill him. If he wanted to he would've done so immediately instead of helping him. With a quiet voice Riz spoke, "I'm in here."

Riz saw Fabian leap up and swing the cabinet open. He had a wide grin as he looked at Riz. "You're okay! I thought something had happened to you! What are you doing in there? You look like a ball."

"I had a small freakout and threw myself in here." Riz tapped his claws against the bottom of the cabinet as Fabian chuckled.

"Why? Were you scared my mother was coming upstairs?" When Riz shook his head 'no' Fabian's smile dropped. "Is- was it because of me? Did I cause you to freak out?" Riz nodded and looked away from Fabian. "Oh," he was silent for a few seconds before continuing, "well, I guess I should say this now, I'm not going to hurt you Riz. I just want to help. Please don't be scared of me."

"I trust you Fabian. It was- It was just- I don't know! I just started freaking out because what if I could never leave? Or what if I somehow get hurt even worse and then go missing? What if I end up just like Penny or Sam or Danielle or- or-" Riz began pulling at his, now dry and frizzy hair. His breathing quickened before rough hands gently grabbed his own and pulled them away. Fabain had squeezed part of his body into the cabinet with Riz and was looking at him with concern.

"Riz, calm down, you need to breathe. I'll make sure you get back to the ocean as soon as possible, okay?" Riz nodded his head with Fabian. Fabian moved his hands to Riz's shoulders and began to try and pull him out of the cabinet. Riz went limp in Fabians arms as he was gently lifted then set carefully back into the tub. Fabian took extra precaution with his tail and laid it against the side of the tub. Fabian grabbed a plate that was sitting on the sink and set it in front of Riz. "I looked around in the fridge and found some shrimp I cooked some of it because I didn't know if you eat raw fish or if you cooked it or-" Fabian was cut off by Riz grabbing handfuls of both cooked and uncooked shrimp and shoveling them into his mouth. Fabian just stared on the event occured. Riz's pupils had dilated and moaned in satisfaction at the meal. This was the first time in months that he's actually sat down and ate a full meal. The cooked shrimp left a strange, but not unpleasant, taste in his mouth.

"Um, Riz? You might want to slow down there buddy," Fabian laughed and put a gentle hand on Riz's shoulder. Riz jerked his head toward Fabian and let out a hiss before stopping what he was doing and stared at Fabian with teal covering his cheeks.

"I- sorry, I didn't mean to do that," Riz curled away from Fabian as much as he could in the tub.

"No it's fine don't worry about it. Are you good? I mean, you shouldn't wolf down food like that. Why were you eating so fast?"

"I didn't realize how hungry I was. I haven't actually ate a decent meal in a while. Don't freak out about it though! Its fine!" Riz put his hands up in defense as he felt Fabian become angry.

"I'm sorry what? You mean to tell me you haven't eaten well for how long? A month? Two months? Riz!"

"I can't change the past Fabian! At least I'm eating now, right?"

"I guess," Fabian huffed out. "Now I'm gonna shut the shower curtain. I have to piss." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to my girlfriend for listening to me ramble on about this to her (She doesn't even watch Fantasy High) and Shout out to @Jamiebluewind on Tumblr for giving me encouragement to work on the chapter


	6. The Foundation of the Bathroom Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fabian has one whole Gay Thought

After pacing in his bedroom for about an hour and several phone calls and frantic texts later, Fabian has three more people in his room and two on speaker phone. Fabian had initially just called Kristen. He thought she'd know the most about mermaids given she never shut up about them. After that, Kristen told him to call Adaine and have her come over too. This then prompted Adaine to bring Fig into the equation. Adaine had also suggested calling up the Thistlesprings as apparently they have experience in taking care of mermaids. This led to where they were now: Fabian standing in the middle of his bedroom, Adaine sitting in his swivel desk chair, Fig sitting on the floor and Kristen laying across his bed with Adaines marine biology book in hand.

"So as you all know now I am currently taking care of a mermaid," Fabaian said nervously, "and said mermaid is currently in my bathtub."

"Why would you put a mermaid in your bathtub?" Adaine laughed.

"Where else was I supposed to put him? I needed to hide him somewhere!"

"Why not just put him in here? Can't he grow legs out of water or something?" Fig leaned her head onto her propped up hand.

Kristen flipped a few more pages in Adaines book before countering "Not everyone is like you Fig. This is a full on mermaid we're talking about."

"Back on topic everyone! The main reason he is even in my house is because he's injured and I feel obligated to help him," Fabain gestured to the door, "and I don't know what to do with him or how long it would take for him to heal!"

"Well why don't you ask him?" Mrs. Thistlespring's voice spoke through the mild static of Figs phone.

"I doubt Riz would be of any help! He struggles enough with taking care of himself! When I fed him yesterday he told me that was the most he's eaten in a month! Do you think he'd know anything about treating injuries?"

"Wait, you have Riz in your house? Why didn't you say something! I gotta go talk to him!" Kristen made move to the door only for Fabian to push her back to sitting on the bed.

"Oh no, We are not doing that. Riz doesn't know that any of you are here. I don't want him to have another freak out alright?"

"Another? Why did he freak out the first time?" Adaine furrowed her eyebrows.

Fabian was silent for a few seconds before speaking, "He thought I was going to kill him."

Various shouts of "What?" resounded through the room. Fabian flinched and curled in on himself slightly.

"Let me explain," Fabian had put his hands in front of him in weak defense. "He doesn't know me that well and all he knows is that I'm Bill Seacasters' son. It understandable that he'd be a little suspicious to my intentions." He sighed through his nose, "I think he trusts me now but I'm still a little unsure. I want him to trust me and I would never purposely hurt him! You all understand that, right?"

"As long as Riz understands that then I'm fine," it was Mr. Thistlesprings turn to talk. "Fabian, I trust you to do the right thing. I would suggest finding a way to keep him in saltwater, it's good for a mermaids skin. I also trust that you have been feeding him well?"

"Yes of course! I tried to ask for his preference on cooked and uncooked fish but he ate all of it just the same."

"Well, typically mermaids eat raw fish as they don't have easy access to heat sources to cook food. However, there isn't really a negative side effect to cooking the food either. It's really up to taste."

Adaine interjected, "and if you need help with things like fish anatomy let me know! I'm not studying marine biology for no reason."

"If we're done here, can I go talk to Riz now?" Kristen whined.

"I'll go with you, I have something I need to ask anyways. Do any of you know where I can get large amounts of salt discreetly?"

"We can get that for you dear. Call us if you need anything alright?" the Thistlesprings hung up before Fabian could respond to them.

"Well I guess you are all dismissed. Unless you all want to meet Riz, go." Fabian opened the door and gestured for people to leave. No one, however, did leave.

"I am quite interested in meeting Riz. I feel like he'd be a better example of mermaids than Fig as she's only part of one."

"I've always wanted to meet other mermaids! And, Riz sounds cool. Do you think he'd like my music?"

"Fig, you aren't showing a stranger your music!"

"He could join my band!"

Fabian let Adaine and Fig argue back and forth as he led Kristen to the bathroom where Riz was. Riz appeared to be sleeping. Pillows and blankets were strewn across the bathtub along with a small pile of shower products piled on top of Riz where his tail had knocked them over.

Kristen broke the silence with a whisper, "You know, I have never seen him sleep before. Not to mention him looking peaceful. You must be doing something right if he's that relaxed."

While the comment was meant to be soothing, it made Fabian upset. Why was Riz so strung up all the time? He did mention some missing people before. Was that it? Was he trying to find these people and he's stressed that he can't? Fabian leaned against the counter and just watched Riz. Kristen sat down near the tub and said nothing. All three were silent, save for their breathing.

Eventually, Riz's eyes cracked open and stared at the other two in the bathroom. Fabian made direct eye contact with him as Riz rubbed his eyes. Fabian would never say it out loud but Riz looked adorable.

After Riz blinked a few more times, he once again surveyed his surroundings and spoke, "What- Fabian, What are you doing here? Kristen? Why are you two-"

"Fig I said NO!" The sound of pounding footsteps followed Adaine's yell. Fig ran into the doorway of the bathroom and began blasting her bass into the room. Fabian and Kristen barely reacted, they were both used to her shenanigans by now. Adaine looked apologetically towards Riz who had dove under the blankets in the bath while covering his ears.

"Hey Fig, you might want to cool it on the bass," Kristen had stood up and went to unplug the small amp Fig add on her belt.

"What? Why? Scared Riz will be so impressed with my bass skills he'll want to be in my bathtub?"

Fabian shot Fig a look, "Because he just woke up and I'm pretty sure you scared him?" Fabain walked over to the tub and pulled off some of the blankets to reveal a Riz curled up and pulling at his ears. "Riz? You good there buddy?"

"What the fuck was that noise?" Riz visibly relaxed at the sight of Fabian. He didn't make any move to peak his head out of the tub again, he just stared at Fabian.

"It was just Fig and her bass. You'll get used to it eventually. She's trying to start a band."

"And it's gonna kick ass!" she interjected.

"Y'know, she's also part mermaid too. She has legs when she's out of water though. I'm pretty sure she's a great white."

Riz began to peep out after Fabian said mermaid. He stared at Fig with squinched eyes. Fabian guessed he was trying to get a read on her. Maybe he knew her?

"Gorthalax," Riz spoke extremely slowly and quietly.

"Gorthawho?" Fabain caught the attention of Fig.

"Who's that? Do you know him? Is he my dad?"

"Gorthalax is the only great white shark near here. That I know of anyways. You'd have to be related to him in some way."

"Where is he? can you show me where?" Fig had run up to the tub and put her face near Riz's.

"I- He's been missing for a while. I never met him, I just heard stories about him."

"When did he go missing?"

"About 15 years ago." Riz cocked his head, "Why?"

"I was born 15 years ago! Holy shit! Adaine!"

"I heard it all. Well we finally have a name for your birth dad."

"He's just been missing for years." Fig slumped against the tub. She was sadder than before. "Well, it was nice to meet you Riz. Hope we can talk more soon." She stood up and shot Riz a peace sign. "I better go. Sandralynn will be expecting me home for dinner." She began to walk out.

"Who's Sandra-"

"Her mother," the other three residents of the bathroom club said at the same time.

"Oh," Riz laid back down in the tub and stared up at Fabian.

After a little bit more chatting, Kristen and Adaine eventually left. Kristen gave both Riz and Fabian a hug before leaving. Fabian tried to ignore the slight ping of jealousy he felt when Riz hugged her back. When Fabian and Riz were finally on their own, Fabain began to ramble.

"So I talked with the Thistlesprings and they said to put you in salt water so I'm going to work on getting that for you as soon as I can. I don't really know what kind of salt I'd need to buy but I'll get a bunch and we can test it all. They also told me that it doesn't matter if you eat cooked or uncooked fish so I'll let you decide what you'd like. I'm sorry about Fig coming in here blasting her bass. I saw that you reacted badly to it and I just wanted to apologize for her. So how are you doing? I mean, I'm doing great but you've been in my bathtub for a while and I didn't know if you'd like anything to do or-"

"FABIAN!" Fabain stared mouth agape as Riz nearly shouted his name. "You need to calm down. I'm fine, really. I'd like a notebook or something to pass the time while you're not here but it's no big deal. You don't need to put so much work into keeping me happy. It's nice. You're the first person, besides Kristen, who's actually stopped to get to know me."

"Well I'll be sure to be the greatest friend ever! I will be your best friend! Even if I have to fight Kristen for the title." Fabian let his jealousy do the talking which he immediately regretted. He threw a hand over his mouth in embarrassment.

"You don't have to fight anyone for me! I'm fully capable myself!"

"Well you also weigh as much as a wet towel. I'm pretty sure even Adaine could snap you in half."

"Why would she want to?"

"I don't know but she could!" Fabian smirked, "You just need a strong handsome pirate to protect you!" Fabian watched as Riz sputtered in defense of himself making him laugh. The two ended up laughing for hours longer before Fabain shut off the bathroom lights and went to bed.


	7. This Isn't Homoerotic at All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Macaroni and Cheese tastes good after crying

"Fig, I think you should calm down." Adaine said as she watched Fig pace around her room.

"Calm down? Calm down! I just discovered my dad has been missing since I was born! Did he really hate the idea of having a kid that he just ran away?" Fig was crying angry tears, furiously wiping them away.

"I don't think that's the case. Maybe something happened to him and he was busy sorting it out?"

"Oh great! Even better! He got so caught up in other business for fifteen years that he couldn't even think to look for his own daughter."

"Maybe he didn't know you'd end up being part mermaid?" Adaine was trying everything to calm Fig down. Fruitlessly coming up with excuses for Fig's dad's disappearance to make her friend feel better. "You heard what Riz said, no one knows what happened to him. We can't be certain. Maybe we can go out searching sometime!"

"What about you? You can't go into the water." Fig sat down on the floor. She gave up on controlling her tears, letting them fall onto the carpet.

"Well maybe Fabian can get a ship we could use and I could be on the surface watching. The Thistlespring's could come along with Gorgug and Riz could help look too! Kristen would love to help too! We'd all love to help you Fig." Adaine sat on the floor next to Fig. She smiled comfortingly at her and put a hand on her shoulder.

Fig sat still for a moment. She took in breath after hiccoughing breath. Then, she threw her arms around Adaine in a hug. She lost control and began openly sobbing in her arms. Adaine wrapped her arms around her and gently pet her hair. They sat like this for a while, Fig crying in Adaines arms while Adaine stayed silent. As Adaine tried to pull away, Fig followed her back into the hug.

"Please don't leave me. Not you too," Fig's voice was quiet but it still made Adaine's heart ache.

"I'm not going to leave you Fig. I'll never leave you. I promise. Neither will Sandralynn or Kristen or Fabian. We are all here for you. You don't have to worry about alright? We're going to find your father." Adaine leaned back once more to make eye contact with Fig. Her eyes were bloodshot and she was still crying and sniffling.

"Okay," she whimpered out. "Sorry for getting tears all over your shirt."

Adaine quietly chuckled, "Don't worry too much about that. It wasn't my favorite anyways. Just an old button up is all. Besides, your mental health is more important than some dumb shirt." Adaine waited for Fig to pull away completely to move. She slowly stood up saying, "I'm going to grab you a water, do you want anything else? Are you hungry? I could make you something if you'd like."

"Some food would be nice. Thanks Adaine," Fig sent a small smile towards her as Adaine left her room and journeyed to the kitchen.

The kitchen was fairly basic, compared to the one at Adaine's home, at least. Sandralynn still wasn't home and probably wouldn't be for a few more hours at best. Adaine looked around in the pantry trying to find something to make for Fig. All she ended up finding was a box of mac and cheese. She carefully read over the instructions and started to make food. After five minutes of waiting for water to boil, Adaine could hear the familiar sound of Fig playing her bass. She vaguely heard her voice singing too. Adaine smiled softly to herself and listened to the playing. She was forced back into reality by the sound of boiling water.

"Shit, shit, shit!" She turned down the heat and began adding the macaroni into the pot. The next few minutes flew by her as she finished the noodles. She dumped the mac and cheese into two bowls and carefully held them along with two water bottles that were stashed under her arm. She slid into the room seeing Fig mindlessly plucking at the guitar strings.

"I brought food. I only found mac and cheese in the pantry so I hope it's satisfactory." She handed Fig a bowl before sitting down herself and dropping the water bottles in between the two of them. Fig had set her bass down and began scarfing down the mac and cheese.

"This is wonderful! Thanks Adaine, you're the best!" Fig said between mouthfuls of food.

"No problem," Adaine ate at a snail's pace compared to Fig.

The two continued to laugh and joke after finishing eating. Fig took control of cleanup, taking the dishes back to the kitchen and putting away some of the things Adaine forgot to put away. Soon, it was almost time for Sandralynn to be home. Fig and Adaine were laying in Fig's bed almost sleeping. Fig had her arms wrapped tightly around Adaine as they napped. Adaine also pointedly ignored her phones persistent buzzing on the nightstand. She didn't really care if her family was demanding her home right now. She just wanted to sleep dammit!

Later in the night her phone rang, waking her up. She answered the phone groggily, not looking at the caller id or the time.

"Hello?"

"You now, mom and dad are really pissed at you right now." Oh great, it was her sister.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing! Just wanted to drop by and say your welcome for me covering for you. I know you were just too busy making kissing faces at that shark girl to bother coming home.'

"What? No! Fig and I are not- Look Aelwen, I don't know if I want to know what you told our parents but I'm trying to sleep, thank you very much. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back to sleep."

"Alright, don't expect me to cover for you next time. I don't know why I thought you'd be grateful!"

"Bye, Aelwen."

"Goodbye, Adaine."

Adaine hung up the phone faster than she ever had in her life. She dropped her phone back on the stand and fell back in bed. She snuggled up against Fig and forced herself to go back to sleep. Fig's consistent snoring calmed her down as she drifted off once more.

She woke up extremely groggy and painfully aware of the fact that Fig was no longer in the room. She got up and wandered to the kitchen where she saw an embarrassed Fig and an annoyed Sandralynn.

“Hello Adaine,” Sandralynn was curt with her. “Do you need a ride home or are your parents coming to get you?”

“I’m fine Ms. I can walk home it’s no big deal. I should be going now anyways.”   
“Well bye Adaine,” Fig shyly waved before digging into her cereal.

Adaine waved back before trotting out the house. Despite it being 7 in the morning, it was still pretty hot out. She snuck through the back door of her house once she arrived. She couldn’t bare to face her parents this early in the morning. Inside, Aelwen was waiting for her. 

“Not now, please?” she pushed past her grinning sister.

“How was Fig? Does she have the sharp teeth even out of the water? That would make it quite interesting.”

“I said not now!” Adaine ran upstairs into room and shoved her head into her pillow in shame. She couldn’t stand Aelwen right now. 


	8. Find Your Way Home Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :')

After a week, Riz's tail had finally healed up. There had finally been some saltwater added to the bathtub. It was great for Riz but horrible for Fabian, who kept getting splashed in the face with the water whenever Riz was annoyed. Fabian somehow managed to hide Riz the entire time. Mostly begging Cathilda to not let his mother into the bathroom.

Even though Fabian promised to let Riz go after he healed he was slightly disappointed. Riz had become something close to a best friend during this time. He wasn't ready for Riz to go back into the ocean for Fabian to never see again. Not to mention that fall and winter were fast approaching seasons. Fabian's winters were already sad and lonely enough. He had nothing to do during that season and just spent all his time inside and alone. Riz being gone for 3 months at least doesn't help any. Fabian refused to take Riz back to the ocean until Riz himself told him to.

While Fabian struggled with his homework, he heard Riz sigh. "Hey Fabian, when are you going to take me back to the ocean? I- My tail is healed so I think I'm ready to go." Riz also sounded quite dejected as he spoke.

"Well I could take you out now? Maybe in a few hours, though. It's still pretty light out and I don't think you'd want people to see you."

"That- Okay yeah, that works," Riz submerged his head in the water before coming back up again and continuing, "You'll still come to the beach right? I'll always be in the same place so you know where to find me."

"Of course! What kind of friend would I be if I didn't come talk to you?" Fabian watched Riz as he dried off his hand and began scrawling in the notebook Fabian gave him. Fabian couldn't really read what it said. It looked like some sort of chart with messily drawn lines connecting the boxes. Riz added a new box and made connections with it before closing it in haste. "So I noticed you like the notebook a lot. I was wondering, Since that can’t go in water, would you like me to get you something that can go in the water? That way you can keep writing."

Riz's tail flopped enthusiastically, "Really? You'd get that for me? Oh that would be amazing! that way I could better organize all my clues."

"Your... Clues?" Fabian knew Riz was quite nerdy, but mystery nerdy? That was a surprise. Fabian knew Riz was quite obsessive at times so it made some sense at least.

"I'm a detective! Or at least, I'm trying to be. My mother is one but she won't let me help so I have to find my own mysteries to solve." Riz kept a protective hand over his notebook.

"So what have you been trying to solve? Or are trying to find a mystery to solve?"

"Um well, there were these girls that have gone missing. One was actually my babysitter for a while. I've been trying to find them. They went missing a while ago. Everyone thinks I'm crazy but I swear I'm close to finding something! I actually thought pirates took them but there would have been some warning to it. They all just... Vanished. It's weird and I need to find them." Riz's claws were digging slightly into the leather of the notebook. "There has to be something I'm missing. What if something happened while I've been here? Oh man, that wouldn't be good. I- Fabian I have to go back. I have to go now! What if something happens?" Riz became fidgety and frantic. He tried to pull himself out of the bath and Fabian struggled to push him back down. The salted bath splashed slightly over the edge getting Fabian's jeans wet.

Fabian grit his teeth and gently put his hands on Riz's arm, "Riz, please, for the love of Kristen's God, calm down. I doubt anything happened while you were gone. Kristen goes down there a lot and she would've noticed if something was up and would tell you."

"She's not the most observant when it comes to searching for clues! What if she missed someone sneaking around? What then Fabian?"

"There's nothing you can do about it now so just calm down. Nothing good is going to come by you freaking out."

"You could take me to the ocean faster," Riz snarled at Fabian.

"Well I'm going to just give me a bit. I swear, it's like you never wanted to be saved!"

"I never did! I was clearly fine on my own. You could've just left me there and I would've been fine!" Riz pushed Fabian away. "Just get me out of here. I'm sick of this bathtub." Riz silently sulked and didn't say anything else after.

Fabian repeatedly opened and closed his mouth in an attempt to try and say something. He was regretting almost everything up until now.

He quietly muttered, "I couldn't live with myself if I let somebody die," before picking up his homework and moving to his room. Cathilda tried to meet his gaze but he pushed on to his room. He sat dejectedly on his bed. Fabian just felt tired at this point. After an hour of laying in bed and deciding to skip dinner, he finally got up. He changed his pants which were quickly becoming uncomfortable due to the water. He quickly brushed back his hair before traveling back to the bathroom. Riz appeared to be sleeping as Fabian pulled the bath drain. He pat down Riz with a towel gently before picking him up. He proceeded to sneak through his house and at the door.

Fabian jogged through alleyways and back streets in an attempt to not let Riz be seen. Once he reached the beach, he trotted over to the rock he found Riz at. He walked into the cold water and gently laid Riz in it. He scanned through the water quickly and found no trace of the sharp object Riz was originally cut with. Riz reacted and as he slowly woke up, Fabian dashed away. He ran and ran and ran. Even once he was home he kept running till he was upstairs, alone and in his room. Fabian panted and coughed. What was he doing? He didn't even say anything! This is almost worse than taking Riz back to his place. At least then Riz agreed and wasn't unconscious. Fabian groan and laid back in bed, not caring that he was getting his sheets slightly wet and covered in salt water. He just wanted to sleep. Unluckily for him, he never fell asleep.

He laid wide awake in bed, even as Cathilda came in to check on him. He didn't say a word as she gently put a blanket over him and set something on his desk. When he heard his alarm go off in the morning, he sat up still feeling numb. His legs were itchy from the salt water. He trudged to his dresser and pulled out a black t-shirt and some jeans and trudged to the shower. He choked back emotions, his bathroom was finally empty. No more of Riz's angry banter after being moved to the bathroom counter so Fabian could shower. It was deafeningly silent as he scrubbed down his body. He never realized how used he had gotten to Riz being in his house until now. Fabian wanted to scream. He hated this. He hated everything about this. He silently made plans in his head to visit Riz right after school and apologize for all of his antics. 


	9. I'll Keep All My Feelings Right Here, and Then I'll Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riz and Fabian are just bad with feelings

Everything was strange when Riz woke up. Instead of feeling cramped, floating in a bathtub, Riz was floating in the ocean. He could see Fabian's back as he walked away. Riz was too disoriented to call out to him. Where was he going? What was happening? Riz's memory of the morning flooded back into him. He grimaced as he remembered fighting with Fabian.

Instead of staying near shore and going back to watching the beach, he decided to swim home. His mother was probably worried sick about him. As he swam home, he began regretting more and more of what he had said to Fabian. Muscle memory guided Riz through the maze of boulders as he worried. When he got to his home, he saw his mother with her head in her hands.

"Hey, mom," Riz's voice came out a little gravelly from not being used to speaking underwater for a while.

Sklonda jerked her head towards him, "Riz!" She swam over and enveloped Riz into a hug. "Where the hell have you been! Everyone has been looking for you!"

"I got injured and someone saved me and let me stay with them for a while," Riz didn't dare tell his mom that he stayed with a human. If she was upset now, she'd be even worse if she knew. Besides, Fabian was a sore subject for Riz right now.

"Oh wonderful, who saved you? We should get them something as a thank you."

"Um... Well," Riz rubbed his arm nervously. "They maybe kind of hate me? We got into a fight and kicked me out so..."

"Riz," his mother's disappointed face made him look away tense. "What did you do?"

"I started freaking out and yelled at the person and told them to just let me go already and they did so it's kinda my fault."

"What do you mean about letting you go?" His mother eyed him for a few seconds, "I- You were saved by a human weren't you?" When Riz didn't respond, Sklonda continued, "I can't believe you Riz! You've heard all the horror stories, hell! You're the one most suspicious of humans! How? How did this happen? Were you searching for clues and got kidnapped?"

"No! Mom, he saved me! I- my tail got cut and he was there and he offered to help heal my tail and took me to his house."

"Where in his house?"

"His... Bathroom," Riz laughed to himself, "We'd constantly argue in there because he still had to shower and everything. He'd just plop me in the sink, shower, then drop me back in the bath. He was really nice. His name was Fabian." Riz smiled softly thinking of how much fun he had with him.

"Fabian, as in Fabian Seacaster? As in the son of one of the most feared pirates?"

"Well, yeah but-"

"Riz Gukgak, I cannot believe you spent almost two weeks in the bathroom of a human. Not to mention the fact that the human was the son of a pirate, Bill Seacaster's son no less. I'm sorry Riz, but you're grounded."

"Mom, wait!"

"Not now sweetie. You have to learn your lesson. You could've been killed."

"I- Okay." Riz slunk away to his room, dejected and disappointed.

Once alone, Riz looked about his sand walls and the clues he had written. With ferocity, he clawed away at all clues pertaining to pirates. He was then left with sketches of Penny and the other missing maidens. He moved to another part of his room and started sketching in a new board. At the top he clawed the word "Feelings". He then began to scrawl everything he had been feeling and tried to connect them. Everything stemmed from Fabian and everything seemed to come back to him. Like how Riz felt really excited when Fabian would come home and how he wanted Fabian to always be laughing at his stupid comments. How Riz felt so horrible about yelling at Fabian and just wanted to grab him by the face and tell him sorry. Riz kept trying to figure out exactly why he was feeling the way he was. He didn't feel this way with Kristen. He didn't need her constant approval and support. If anything he's happy when she disagrees with him. With Fabian, he just yearned. he wanted something from Fabian he couldn't quite name. For the two weeks in which he was grounded, it was all he thought about. His thoughts were so big and in such large quantity that he had to move his feelings to a larger part of the room. He slowly slipped back in the habit of not sleeping or eating, opting to spend his valuable time catching up on everything he missed.

When his mother finally ungrounded him, he swam as fast as he could to the surface. He raced towards the rock he alway stayed at and flung himself onto its surface, eyes adjusting to the bright light. It was sometime past twelve, Riz guessed. He waited impatiently in hopes that he'd see Fabian or at least Kristen at some point. He wouldn't mind seeing Fig or Adaine either. Time passed and it was soon becoming dark. Riz was losing hope until he saw a familiar tuft of white hair. Riz broke out into a wide grin and tried to get Fabian's attention. As he waved his arms, he noticed a small leather bound book in Fabian's hand. Riz paused. Fabian had his journal. Fabian knew everything Riz thought of him. What if Fabian just came here to mock him? Riz hid behind the rock, his hand clamped over his mouth. Somehow this was worse then Fabian being mad at Riz.

Riz heard his footsteps come closer as he tried to not be noticed. Fabian's voice cut through the sound of crashing waves.

"Hey uh Riz? I don't know if you're actually there, but I just really want to talk to you. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that and I wasn't really thinking. You were clearly panicking and I obviously didn't help any. You don't need to forgive me or anything. I just wanted to apologize. I've been coming out here everyday," Fabian stopped for a second laughing, "of course if you've been here this whole time ignoring me you'd know." Riz listened to Fabian as he cleared his throat and set something on top of the rock. "Here's your notebook. I haven't ordered anything for you to write on yet. Mostly because I wasn't sure if you were mad at me or not. I... I looked through your notebook. I was hoping I could help you in some way but... um... Well I'm sure you know but..." Fabian trailed off.

Riz blushed furiously, so he did read it. That's great. Fabian has to be uncomfortable with Riz now.

"I don't really know how to feel but, I kind of feel similarly towards you. If that makes sense at least. God, you're probably not even here! and yet here I am spilling my guts to a fucking rock." Fabian sobbed and it hurt, oh did it hurt Riz so much. He wanted to jump out and tell Fabian it was okay but couldn't face the embarrassment of having his guts spilled to do anything. He just sat frozen in fear until Fabian left. He once again watched him go, unable to do anything but watch.


End file.
